Washington –
The U.S. Marshals announced today the addition of
Johnny Mack Brown,
who escaped Oct. 13 from Hays State Prison in Trion, Ga., to the
service’s 15 Most Wanted fugitive list.

Brown and fellow inmate, Michael Tweedel, escaped by climbing atop a
dormitory building to avoid an interior fence and scaling two
perimeter fences and eight strands of razor wire.

Brown was serving a life sentence plus 70 years for the 1997
shooting of an armored-car guard. He was convicted of aggravated
assault with intent to murder, armed robbery, aggravated battery,
theft by taking, hijacking a motor vehicle and aggravated assault.

“Johnny Brown has a long history of criminal activity and he has
proven himself to be a great threat to anyone who crosses his path,”
said Director John F. Clark of the United States Marshals Service.
““Brown’s addition as a 15 Most Wanted fugitive underscores our
commitment to use all of our available resources to bring him to
justice.”

This is Brown’s second escape from prison; he escaped Georgia’s
Clarke County Jail in 1998 by crawling under a fence and scaling a
wall. He then went on a three-state crime spree that included
breaking into a South Carolina home and hiding in the attic
unnoticed for three days. When the homeowner discovered him, Brown
beat the 84-year-old man with a barbell. Brown was apprehended three
weeks after his escape in Daytona, Fla.

Brown began his stay at Hays State Prison in 1999. Upon Brown and
Tweedel’s escape from there, authorities launched a search from land
and air that involved 65 officers and canine units.

Brown was spotted Oct. 20 when he allegedly abducted a Chattooga
County, Ga., woman from her home at knife point and forced her to
drive him to Franklin County, Ga., where he is believed to have
family connections. Authorities say Brown was then picked up by
someone in a dark colored compact car and hasn’t been seen since
then.

Brown was last seen wearing a red pullover t-shirt, gray sweat pants
and a brown and gray winter coat. He is a 52 year-old white male, 5
feet 8 inches tall and weighs 175 pounds. Brown has blue eyes and
graying brown hair. He has scars on his back and right thigh. Johnny
Mack Brown’s known aliases include Mark Brown and Johnny Mark Brown.

A $25,000 reward is offered for information leading directly to his
arrest. If you have information about Johnny Mack Brown’s
whereabouts, immediately contact your nearest U.S. Marshals office
or call the Marshals 24-hour hotline at 1-800-336-0102.

The U.S. Marshals Service is the nation’s oldest federal law
enforcement agency. Annually, U.S. Marshals arrest more federal
fugitives and serve more federal warrants than all other federal
agencies combined. For more information on USMS 15 Most Wanted
fugitives and USMS Major Cases, go to
www.usmarshals.gov.